An editorial in today's New York Times (registration required) touches on similar ground to this posting, rightly blaming broadcasters for using pre-packaged video news reports pumped out by US government departments:

"If using pretend news is one of the ways these stations have chosen to save money, it's a false economy. If it represents a political decision to support President Bush, it will eventually backfire. This kind of practice cheapens the real commodity that television stations have to sell during their news hours: their credibility."